Bred for Blood
by theMotherQuirk
Summary: Danny and Sam's relationship will be put to the test when an old friend shows up, along with a series of unexplainable, grisly murders. Will they be able to stay together when the whole world is tearing them apart? And what do vampires have to do with it?
1. Chapter 1: No Objections

_Run. Keep running keep running keep running oh God no please let me run fast enough. No God please don't let her catch me don't let her catch me!_

The man stumbled through the dark alleys, blindly feeling around for corners. Snow clouded his vision and the crisp air stung his eyes. He fell once or twice, then leapt to his feet and resumed sloshing his way through the frozen cement.

_Oh my God please please just let me keep running oh God please No no NO this can't be happening please please PLEASE!_

But then he fell once more, and was too late in getting up. A heavy foot shoved him back to the ground, and he choked on a mouthful of yellow snow.

_NO!_

He heard the feral snarl, saw the teeth, and began to pray:

_Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name…_

His shirt was torn in half as he felt himself being flipped to his back.

_Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done…_

Tears frozen to his cheeks, he weakly whispered, mouth trembling,

_"On earth as it is in Heaven."_

The last things to grace his vision were the tired, blunt black eyes tinged were cerluean, and the horribly beautiful lips lined with terrifyingly sharp teeth.

His screams were carried off by the wind, lost in the freezing black of the night.

**Chapter One: No Objections**

Danny Fenton was having a rough day. First of all, he had failed a science quiz. And then he had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend. And THEN, as if that wasn't enough, his parents had insisted on him attending a conference with the world's political leaders.

Seriously, what teenager wants to be stuck in a room with a bunch of old hoots talking about the coffee bean withdrawals in Canada? Or, you know, whatever.

He sighed in agitation, running a hand through his dark hair. Not to mention the fact that he had been unusually jumpy all day, attributed to the fact that Amity Park's sister city, Larkvane, had suffered a substantial rise in homicides. Whether or not it was ghost-related was unknown, but all the same, they had called Danny in on the job. For the past week, he had been expecting his ghost sense to be going off like crazy, but so far, the only ghost he had to fight was the Box Ghost. Be-freaking-ware.

The phone rang, and he just about flew out of his skin. _Chill, Danny, _he scolded himself, placing the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"

"Danny," Sam said, sounding annoyed.

"Sam…" he rushed, "Sammy, look, I'm so-"

"No, it's okay. Don't say anything. I just called to tell you that I'm still mad at you."

"…Okay?"

"But I still love you. So don't be stupid or anything."

He nodded before remembering she couldn't see him. "Okay. Um…I'msorryforcallingyouranimalright'srallystupidandpointless."

"Okay. Dually noted." He could hear the smile in her voice.

"I was just having a really rough day, babe. That's all."

"Okay."

"Are you _still _mad?"

"Just a little bit."

"What do I have to do?"

"Grovel."

Obviously, she was kidding, so he'd play along. "Oh, Samantha Manson, I am eternally sorry," he hoped his voice sounded tragic and repentant. "I'll do anything and everything to win your heart back. My soul has cracked and bled without your company, and I feel as if a shadow has eclipsed my…err…soul…again. So…Oh, please, won't you forgive me?"

Her giggling sent little tingles of happiness down his spine. "Oh, Daniel Fenton, you are already aware that my heart is yours. But as they say, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I shall have to dig deeply in my heart…or soul…to forgive you, but forgive I shall, owing to the eclipse that is also shadowing me from being apart from thy malodorous being for such an expanse of time. But oh, oh, how it pains me to announce that I haveth calculus homework due, and thou doth not obtain good grades by slacking offeth."

He grinned, feeling a small weight lift. "Thanks, Sam. Love you."

"Bye, Danny. I love you, too!"

"Wait, what do you mean, malodorous!?" He jokingly considered being slightly offended by this, but seeing as how the phone line was just a droning hum now, and Sam wasn't angry with him anymore, he decided to just smile.

He loped to his desk and switched his computer on, leaning back in his chair and stretching. How many fan letters would there be today? Usually, they topped in the millions. He had to purchase a new system that could actually support all of the junk he received on a daily basis. Of course, he barely had time to check his email, what with his busy schedule and all, so that might've accounted for the ridiculous amount of mail. Either way, it was both flattering and annoying.

He chuckled in disbelief at some of the subject titles, many of them R-Rated. He quickly deleted those, rolling his eyes in disgust.

But there were others that deserved his attention, ones with such subjects as: _Help: A Haunting?_, _My Little Boy Wants To Meet You!, _and _Charity Event at Lewisville Hospital.. _

He scrolled back up and clicked on the first one. _Might as well work my way down, _he thought, clicking on the first email.

_Dear Mr. Fenton/Phantom, _

_Thank you for being such an inspiration to our country, to the world. You are beyond doubt the world's greatest hero. To think of what you must've been through, all of that hiding. I hope you have some free time to yourself, though. You and my son are about the same age, and he's always out with friends! Thank you, again. Thank you, thank you, thank you. _

_Yours truly,_

_Cameron Seegul, of Forks, Washington. _

He smiled a bit at the compliment, but still shook his head. When would people learn he WASN'T a hero? He was just a dorky fourteen-going-on-fifteen-year-old kid who had gotten in way over his head.

Scanning the subject lines again, he noticed a few of them had been sent by Sam.

_Dear Ghost Boy,_

_How is China? Hope your having fun, hanging with all those political leaders. I sure would be. Yeah. So, anyhoo, I was just sitting in my room, talking to Tucker, when it occurred to me that we all haven't hung out in a long time. Now, by the time you get this, we probably already will have hung out. But I thought I'd just drop you a line to let you know. Wait one second._

_Okay, now that Tucker is out of my room…I miss you! Really really really really really really really really really really really really badly! Is that stalkerish? I don't think so. If you think so, then FINE. I'll just run off to Japan or wherever and stay there for a __**month**__! : _

_Can't wait for you to get home. I've got a present for you! Tucker says it's a stupid present, but it's not. Now he demands that I get him a present, as well (he's yelling through my door). He says, "So what if Danny's a worldwide hero and you're his girlfriend? I'm still your best friend and I WANT A PRESENT!" _

_If you're wondering how he knows that I just typed that, about the present, when he's locked outside…The answer to that is a solid IDK. Tucker never ceases to amaze me. :) _

_But, Danny, I think you've given him an inferiority complex. _

_Haha, so I'll just go. Byeee_

_Sam _

Danny quickly hit the reply button.

_hey, ghost boy's girlfriend,_

_i noticed you forgot to put "love you" or "forever yours" or "i 3 you" on your email. this has hurt my feelings. i demand you put some form of love pledge thing on whatever you send me, otherwise i'll stop flying you to school when you're late (if you think this is stalkerish…that's too bad.)._

_don't you love how mushy i am?_

_and tucker can get over his complex. He's always had issues, sammy, you know that as well as i do. tuck, if you're reading this, i'm just kidding. : _

_what's this? a present? oh boy. i want it now. what is it? why have you not given it to me in the three weeks i've been back from china? i need to come over to your house soon. its just with school and all of the make-up homework...but it's funny that the minute i became even remotely famous, your parents suddenly love me. i bet they'll let me take you out to a late-night dinner and movie. what do you say?. _

_please please please please please please please don't go to japan!! are you leaving me for some hot smart japanese guy? that just sucks, sam. just sucks. lol_

_well, I have to go. i have about 1000000000000 emails to read. insane, isn't it? maybe i'll just delete them all and call you. i have to get some guys to do this stuff. do you think the GIW would answer my emails for me? just forward the important stuff? i'll have to ask about that._

_love ya,_

_danny _

He hit send and opened another email from Sam.

_Mr. Daniel Fenton,_

_Hello. Guess what my new favorite song is? _

Danny hit reply again,

_ms. samantha manson _

_what is your new favorite song? _

Before he had the opportunity to answer any more letters from his girlfriend, Jazz barged in his room, looking frantic and panicky. He quickly exited out of his mail and stood up. "Jazz, what the heck are you-"

"Danny!" She nearly screamed, pacing back and forth across his room, murmuring unintelligibly. Her fingers fumbled nervously with each other, until she forcefully pulled the blinds closed.

"Jazz? Are you alright?"

Taking a deep breath, she plunked herself down on Danny's bed. "I…I was just mobbed by reporters."

Oh, crap. Danny internally slapped himself. "Looks like the paparazzi got wind that I'm not in China anymore, huh?"

"Looks like it."

"What did they _do_ to you?"

"They wouldn't let me get through the streets. They were EVERYWHERE. Danny, I don't know how much more I can take."

He walked towards his window and glared down at the news vans and reporters, scratching to get at his door. "You'd think they'd leave us alone after this long."

"They're probably just wondering what happened in China. The conference, and all," Jazz stated, recognizing the guilt-ridden expression on his face, "Oh, uh, what did happen?"

"They wanted my opinion on something- oh no." He inhaled sharply.

"What?"

"Sam!"

Quickly, he went ghost and became invisible and intangible, speeding through the sky. He heard the telltale sounds of a large crowd, and as Sam's house came into view, he heard screaming.

"GET THE HECK OFFA ME! OW! STOP IT!" Sam's voice carried above all the others, which in turn were screeching, "Favorite soda, Samantha?"

"What's it like dating the ghost boy?"

"Goth girl or humanitarian?"

Danny hissed under his breath and flew down to the reporters, still invisible. He scooped Sam up bridal-style and flew her through the wall into her room, ignoring all the paparazzis' excited exclamations as they realized what was happening:

"THE GHOST BOY!"

"DANNY PHANTOM, I LOVE YOU!"

"A QUICK QUESTION?!"

Closing her drapes, he turned visible again and gathered Sam up into a crushing hug. "I'm so sorry, Sam! I swear, they'll never bother you again!"

The girl was more surprised at the fact that he had known just exactly when to rescue her than at the fact that she had just been lifted out of a mob of rabid reporters by a seemingly invisible force, but returned his hug gratefully, if not somewhat puzzled. "Its okay, Danny. It's not like it's your fault or anything."

Danny released her and sat down on her bed. "Yeah, it is. If nobody knew who I was, then nobody would bother you."

"True," Sam agreed, joining him on the bed, "But if nobody knew who you were, then the situation that caused you to reveal who you were would never have happened. Thus, _we _would have never happened."

Hm. He had never looked at it that way before. "Maybe. But I think eventually we would have…"

Sam raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Mr. Fenton, you are the single most clueless boy I know."

"I still have no idea what you mean by that."

Sam grinned and stood up, reaching over to her nightstand for her cell phone. "Who are you calling?" Danny asked.

"Tucker. We're going to hang out. Just like the old days."

Suddenly, a thought struck Danny. He quickly grabbed Sam's wrist, preventing her from dialing Tucker's number. "Wait a sec. What present do you have for me?"

The violet-eyed young woman's face lit up in glee, and she began talking onethousand words a minute. "Well, I was at the Skulk and Lurk, and I was wondering about the myths about you, and then I thought about ghosts and stuff, so I went into the Mythological Creatures section and found all of this stuff. And then I found this book about poltergeists and werewolves and vamps, and it was really cool, so I decided I'd get it for you." Reaching under her bed, she pulled out a smooth paperback with modern-looking text on it, reading _Monsters for Morons_.

"_Monsters for_ _Morons,_ huh?" Danny said, taking the book and flipping through its pages, "Haha, funny."

Gently placing it on the floor, he turned to his girlfriend, and leaning forward with an impish grin, whispered, "Let's hang out with Tucker _tomorrow_."

Sam, as usual, was about to argue.

And, as usual, as his lips found hers, she was powerless to object.

* * *

AN--

Like my cheesy title? Haha :D

This is a story I've had since forever ago, and I rewrote most of it. Nothing really vital happened in this chapter- the important stuff was in the prologue. But everyone loves some good old-fashioned DannyxSam fluff, am I right? Sooo. What did you awesome fellows and- is the female form of fellows _fellas_?- think? :)

Oh, and Danny is too lazy to capitalize in his emails. What a silly halfa. :)


	2. Chapter 2: Miss Brille the Quiet

**Chapter Two: Miss Brielle the Quiet/Sam Takes a Walk**

Danny figured that after a year of Lancer knowing his secret that he'd lighten up a little bit when it came to deadlines. Really, he barely had time to take a shower, let alone do a report on the history of human history. Why did Lancer choose _that _particular year to change grades, anyway? Danny was finally a sophomore, finally escaped from any class that could possibly lead him back to his best friend in the whole wide world, and the teacher decides to move up a grade. What the heck? It was just his luck.

And now the man was coming around, collecting homework, of which Danny had only finished half. He glanced around in a panic, but his classmates had long since gotten used to his presence and didn't notice him in time.

Lancer paused at his desk and scanned the incomplete work, his mouth turned down in disapproval. "Mr. Fenton, once again you have failed to complete your homework. How are you going to graduate at this rate?"

Danny was about to comment that he was lucky he went any rate at _all_, when a nondescript girl in a Save the Whales sweatshirt and jeans poked her head up and squeaked, "He was at a conference, Mr. Lancer. All last month. It was all over the news."

Lancer nodded his head, "Ah, yes. But Miss Brielle, we assigned this homework yesterday, and Mr. Fenton _was_ here." Lancer didn't mean to sound so harsh. But he was truly worried about the boy's school career- that was one of the reasons he switched grades, so he could be there to help him.

There was no intimidation in the girl's blue-grey eyes, despite her outward manner of timidity; instead, they held an bizarre softness. "But he was busy saving someone yesterday, Mr. Lancer."

Lancer's mouth turned up in a smirk. "And how would you know so much about the whereabouts of young Daniel, Miss Brielle?"

This time the girl's eyes held a tint of indignation. "Isn't he always, Mr. Lancer?" Her voice was still as small as it had been earlier, just a tad crisper, casually laced with ice. "I think he deserves an extension."

By now, the entire class was paying attention. They murmured their agreement. Mr. Lancer, acknowledging his defeat, handed Danny back his homework and headed back to his desk, calling sullenly over his shoulder, "Due next class."

Danny blinked in disbelief. Had this total stranger really just stood up to Lancer? Well, okay, not actually a _total_ stranger. He vaguely remembered her from elementary school. Anna-something. In any case, he leaned over to her. "Thanks for that." He whispered.

She smiled shyly before returning to the night's homework. "You're welcome, Danny."

He was sure he remembered her from somewhere. "Didn't we go to the same elementary school?"

She nodded, sneaking anxious glances towards the work on her desk. "Yes."

"Did you have Mrs. Ranchburg?" He prodded, still unable to put a name with her familiar face.

"Yes."

"Did you-"

"You don't remember me, do you?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Ah, no. Sorry."

"That's okay. I left in the sixth grade and was gone until this year. I'm Antoinette. Everyone here called me Tawny. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah! I remember now. Your friends had a going away party for you, didn't they? I went, and they played Spin the Bottle, and I had to kiss Paulina…" He blushed, remembering how awkward the kiss had been…slobbery lips and braces do not work well together, not to mention his crushed sense of pride when Paulina ran out of the room to barf. "Where'd you go?"

"Um, France. Where I was born."

"Cool!"

"Yeah."

Mr. Lancer agitatedly raised his head, "Quiet, you guys."

Tawny straightened up immediately, without another word, though Danny thought he saw the faintest hint of a smile on her thin lips as she continued her work.

XOXOXO

"So when did you get back?" Danny inquired as he and Tawny slowly gathered their belongings. The rest of the class had stampeded out of the room, and Danny normally would have been the first one out the door, but seeing as how this was the first time he had seen Tawny since middle school (he recalled now that they had been close acquaintances, if not friends. At least, they had sometimes sat at the same lunch table), he decided there was really no hurry.

"Last month," she answered, still in that tiny, little girl's voice. Now that she was speaking in a voice louder than a whisper, however, Danny realized that she sounded musical, almost like a flute.

"So, can you speak French?"

With slight hesitation, she answered, "Oui."

Tawny's pallid cheeks flushed pink as if she were ashamed. Danny wondered what he had done wrong, and with an apologetic smile, he said, "So…who are you hanging out with nowadays?"

"Paulina Sanchez and I were best friends before I left. I guess we still are. I mean, I haven't really been here very long, and…you know…"

"If you want, you can sit with us at lunch," Danny offered quickly, noticing how her eyes went wide. They were pale and unremarkable; they blended right in with the rest of her fair features. But there was something to them, something deeper that Danny couldn't place.

Tawny's light brow furrowed for a split second, as if she were considering something, before she nodded, "Okay," and as an afterthought, she added, "Paulina won't mind…too much."

XOXOXO

Danny joined his friends at their usual table, with the silent, shy Tawny trailing uncomfortably behind. "Everyone," Danny said, gesturing towards the girl taking a seat next to him, "You guys remember Tawny? She moved to France, but she came back this year. Remember?"

Tucker smiled in remembrance, as did Sam, although the latter felt a spike of unreasonable suspicion...or maybe it was just jealousy?

"France?" Tucker, always the enthusiastic, brash one of the group, asked, leaning forward in his chair, "Say something in French!"

"What would you like me to say?" Tawny asked politely, although her discomfort was obvious.

"Say something like, 'I love Tucker' or something like that."

Tawny's face heated up, a reaction that Danny began to realize happened quite frequently. "Well…Okay. _J'aime Tucker_."

"Okay, enough bugging her about French stuff," Danny stepped in.

Sam couldn't help but notice the fact that Danny wasn't sitting next to her, but instead to this pretty little unknown blonde girl, but she firmly told herself to get a grip. That she couldn't get this jealous this quickly. It wasn't fair, not to Danny, not to Tawny, and not to herself. Not to mention the fact that it was annoying. With a bit of a forced smile, Sam laughed, glancing defiantly towards her boyfriend, "Did you live in Paris?"

Tawny leaned forward in a movement so fast Sam almost didn't catch it, and giggled. "No, but I wish! I visited, and the Ifle Tower was so beautiful, especially during night, when it was all lit up! But no, I lived in Bordeaux. It was nice there, too, though."

Danny was surprised to see such an instantaneous change in character, but then the bright, friendly grin on her face wavered before vanishing completely, and as quickly as she had come alive, Tawny sank back down into herself, instead offering up that seemingly trademark, shy smile. "It was lovely there," she muttered.

Sam noticed the change, too, and chalked it up to nervousness. "Well, we'll have to hang out sometime and talk about it. I've always wanted to go to France. Do the people there really brood as much as everyone says?" Absentmindedly, she blew a piece of hair out of her eyes

"Only during-" Tawny began to say, buy her words were cut short as she inexplicably gasped and jerked back from the table, coughing violently.

After a silent moment, Tucker asked, "What was _that_?"

Tawny's face turned bright red. Clearing her throat, she explained lamely, "Uh…there was a fly. And, uh, I hate flies."

The techno-geek nodded slowly. His attention was then captured by something behind the table, and he snickered. "Hey, Danny _Phantom_? Yeah, you're girlfriend is on the way."

Danny groaned and reluctantly turned to see none other than Paulina Sanchez herself gliding towards their table. Her hips swayed as she walked, her long, black hair looking silken underneath the fluorescent lighting. Every boy in the room stared as she walked past. Some even drooled.

"Hello, Danny." Paulina cooed in her accented voice, seating herself on the lunch table and oh-so-subtly sliding in between him and Tawny at the same time. "How's the ghost-fighting going?"

Danny smiled, but only because he was a nice person. "Same as always."

Tucker ogled.

Sam snorted.

Paulina drummed her perfectly manicured nails on the table and rolled her eyes at the goth girl. "So, Danny, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies this Saturday. A bunch of us are going, but it would be way more fun if you were there," she shifted forward, her face suddenly only inches away from Danny's. He blushed, trying really, _really _hard to keep from looking down her shirt. He attempted to scoot away; she grabbed his wrist.

Sam's jaw dropped open. _I can't believe he's letting her get that close! _And yet she couldn't seem to find her voice, to say something, to _do _something.

Tucker glanced uneasily from Danny, to Paulina, to Sam, and back again, wondering when the catfight would start. His bet was on Sam, definitely. He knew for a fact that she fought to win.

The entire cafeteria seemed to hold it's breath.

"I would really love it if you came," Paulina batted her eyelashes innocently before straightening up and flipping her hair over her shoulder.

And then a shrill shriek made everyone jump. Danny was sure it was Sam finally initiating the long-anticipated catfight or something, but to his astonishment he saw Tawny pushing herself away from the pair and scooting her chair to the other side of the table. She was breathing heavily, her eyebrows knit together across her forehead in a strained expression. It looked like she was in pain.

Tawny slowly opened her eyes and seemed to realize what she had done. Her face was the color of a cherry as she waved a shaky hand dismissively through the air. "It…was a bee. It almost stung me," she smiled nervously at the group of kids in the cafeteria, "I'm allergic."

The cafeteria seemed to shrug, and the tension eased a fractional bit as normalcy resumed in the room. But not at the Fenton Table.

Sam bit her lip and rose out of her seat, clutching her lunchbox tightly. She shot a venomous glare at Paulina, and without a word turned and stalked off.

Tucker stood, also, but only halfway; he was debating whether or not to follow her. In the end, he slowly sat back down and cleared his throat.

Danny sighed and rubbed his temples. "Listen, Paulina, I don't know how many times I have to tell you: I am dating Sam. I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings, but you can't seduce me into liking you. And, look, the only reason you like me is because I'm also Danny _Phantom. _You know that, I know that. So please, please try not to bother me in that way again, especially not in front of my girlfriend. Please."

Paulina, unfazed by the lecture she had received many times over, turned away from Danny and instead focused her attention on her old best friend, as if she had just realized she was there. "Antoinette, _what_ are you doing sitting here?"

"I'm just making new friends," Tawny said weakly.

"Of _course_, _you're_ invited to the movies too, honey. Don't be shy. We were friends before, and we're friends now. I'll even introduce you to Dash." She leered. "He likes them blonde and _submissive_." And with that, Paulina slid off the table and sashayed away.

Danny, Tucker, and Tawny exhaled deeply. _That could've gone worse_, thought Tucker.

"Is…Is Sam going to be okay?" Tawny asked tentatively.

"I don't know," Tucker responded, "Dude, Danny, that's twice in one week, bro. Seriously, are you _trying _to make her break up with you?"

Danny groaned. "God. Why can't Sam understand that it's not ME? It's Paulina, and every other friggen person in this stupid school. All bent on making my life a nightmare."

"Maybe…" Tawny muttered (Danny noted that she always seemed to be muttering, or whispering, or anything else besides speaking in a normal voice), "Maybe I could talk to Sam? I mean, I know we just met and everything, well, sort of, but we've actually known each other since we were kids, right? Maybe I could-"

"Yeah, Tawny, do that," Tucker answered. "She'll probably be in the art room. Just, uh, don't startle her. She might hit you if she thinks you're one of us or something," he winced and rubbed his shoulder in remembrance, "She's done it before."

Tawny expected Tucker to smile as if his statement was a joke, but his face was dead-serious. His eyes scanned her tiny limbs and small hands critically. "You sort of look like you bruise easily. No offense."

Tawny was touched by his show of concern. But walking out of the cafeteria, she thought, _I wish._

XOXOXO

Sam burst into a thankfully almost empty art room. She barely paid notice to the sketches and paintings lining the walls or the intoxicating smells of paint and oil that filled the room to bursting. Sam expected the art teacher to be present at her desk, grading a clay pot or doodling a tree or something, but to her surprise, and relief, she was not. Instead, the room's only other occupant was none other than Valerie Grey. Her wavy, dark brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, her lips pursed in concentration, a pencil in her hand and a piece of construction paper on the table before her. She appeared to be in study period.

"Oh," Sam said, slowing her quick pace to a halt. "Hey, Valerie."

Since Danny Phantom's identity had become public information, Valerie had cooled things down in the ghost-hunting department. The only reason she had hunted ghosts in the first place was because she was seeking revenge against the mysterious ghost boy, but after she found out that the ghost she was after was the boy she had feelings for? Revenge didn't really seem necessary anymore.

When Valerie talked to Danny about getting back together, though, he had politely declined her offer. _"You're awesome Valerie, don't get me wrong. But I finally realized something really important. I'm sorry." _

His words still stung, a bit. But she wasn't angry. And deep down, she knew that Sam loved him more than she ever could.

And so, Valerie made it a point to be on relatively good terms with Team Phantom. She had even agreed to go on a date with Tucker.

"Hey, Sam. What're you doing?"

"Skipping class." The goth girl said as she crossed the room and opened one of the many windows. Sam wasn't sure what she would've done if the teacher _had_ been in the room, but since that wasn't the case...

"Oh."

"Don't tell?"

"Of course not."

Sam paused before lifting herself out of the window and turned to Valerie. "How are you doing and everything?"

"Fine." Valerie shrugged, aware of what Sam was referring to. "It's not like we had some great romance or anything. And, besides, the whole school knew you two totally loved each other, even before you did."

"Right." Sam agreed with a grin, quickly recounting the many times they had been called "lovebirds" or "lovers" and had freaked out about it, but then always ended up glancing at each other and blushing and smiling. She wondered, with some incredulity, why they hadn't realized it sooner. "Well, um, I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah." She agreed.

Sam waved goodbye and had one leg out of the window when Valerie called her name. "And, Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam looked at the former ghost-hunger. A teenage-girl shaped shadow fell across the floor when Sam was blocking the sunlight, and Valerie stood in it, arms crossed, though a gentle smile graced her features. Sadly, she nodded towards her. "You guys look really cute together." She said softly, and then stepped away.

Sam was silent for a few short moments before swinging her other leg out of the window and smiling back at her almost-friend. "Thanks."

Apparently, Sam wasn't the only one who had decided that a midday walk in the park was a good idea. Several other teens loitered about on the grass, clearly the rebellious type, as a sign plainly read _DO NOT WALK ON GRASS. _

Some of them noticed Sam and elbowed their friends. "That's the ghost boy's girlfriend," the whispered, though not very quietly, as Sam could hear them from several yards away.

She stood on the sidewalk at a newspaper vendor, shielding her eyes against the surprisingly harsh sunlight. It was only now just warming up from the rough winter they had just come out of, and there was still a touch of December crispness in the air.

The sky was very blue, almost as blue as Danny's eyes (Sam paused for a minute to fully comprehend the obsessive girl-ishness of that thought before figuring that, since she was in love, it was okay.)

Sam knew that being upset with Danny was pointless. He hadn't done _anything_, except not be mean Paulina. But she couldn't help herself. First with Tawny, in all of her petite blonde cuteness (even though all Danny had done was befriend her), and then Paulina, voluptuous and tempting as always. Valerie, curvy, friendly, fun Valerie, was also possible competition, but Sam seriously doubted she would try anything as long as Danny was involved with someone else.

With a wistful glance at her own less-than-impressive chest, Sam wondered why Danny chose her over everyone else. And okay, she knew she was just being sensitive. Danny loved her. That was a fact that was ingrained into Sam's every brain cell, every blood cell, into the arteries and veins and walls of her heart. She reveled in the truth of that statement every morning when she woke up, every night before she fell asleep. _Danny_ _loved_ _her_.

But sometimes Sam just wanted to know why. He was a worldwide teenage hero, and him being really, really attractive and handsome and cute and wonderful (she sighed dreamily) certainly did nothing to turn the hordes of rabid fangirls off. Oh, and let's throw in the fact that he could turn into a ghost and fly around and shoot laser beams out of his hands. Yeah, _that _helped.

In all honesties, Sam was just upset because she was jealous. And with a deep sigh, she released all feelings of anger and hurt, deciding that her relationship with Danny was just way, way, way too important to her (yeah, try more important than anything else in the world, even animal right's rallies) to risk because she was just being _insecure. _The fight they had gotten into earlier this week had really been no big deal, but this could blow up into something huge, because it all came down to trust.

Sam placed some cash down on the counter and grabbed a newspaper, resolving to call Danny and calmly talk to him about what had happened, and how they both felt about it. But not wanting to go back to school just yet, Sam found a bench shaded underneath an oak tree and glanced down at the paper. The headline immediately grabbed her attention.

_**Larkvane's Unexplained Homicides Become Even More Cryptic **_

By Miranda Cullen

As the streets of Larkvane are continuously stalked by the dangerous killer(s) of countless amounts of people, police sit in their safe offices, unable to deliver a satisfactory explanation as to why they have not caught the murderer(s) yet. Yes, it is possible it could be a plural, because, according to Officer Jackson when he agreed to comment, "There is no way this spree is the work of one person."

So one may assume gang warfare, or even a severe ghost problem. But what gang or ghost would tear apart their victim limb by limb and leave the parts in the open? WARNING: Intense descriptions may not be appropriate for young children.

At approximately ten o'clock AM, police found the head of Janelle Walsteed, a college student at Oklahoma University come home to visit her parents next to a trashcan. Her body was nowhere to be found. Later, fourteen-year-old Kelly Zogle stumbled across the disembodied arm of what appears to be a middle-aged man while taking her dog on a walk. "It was sticking out from a bush. At first…At first I thought it was just someone laying in the grass for some reason, so I went to see it…" described the very disturbed Kelly, "Who would do this?"

Who, indeed? That is the question on everyone's minds. And the police have finally done something in order to answer that question: they have called in hero Danny Phantom.

Danny Phantom saved the world from the Disastroid, and has saved countless citizens in Amity Park, his home town, from the torment ghosts regularly inflict upon them. But that does not excuse the fact that he is still a mere 14-year-old boy. Can the police really ask an adolescent youth to catch the villains responsible for these atrocities? Can they even expect him to? When asked about the case, Danny merely looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He answered, "I don't have a clue, and I was told not to comment. Oh, wait! I didn't say that!"

Jackson went on to explain…(story continued on page 15)

(Sam flipped to the page and skimmed down to the concluding paragraph.)

So, until the monsters are caught, citizens of Larkvane, and even of the United States, please be aware that you are in danger. Refrain from walking on the streets at night, and if you absolutely have to, don't go alone. We are dealing with a force so evil, so grisly, some are speculating it is not even human. And if it's not human, then what is it? Ghosts?

Or something else entirely?

In any case, please, keep yourselves safe. This reporter does not want to write about the deaths of anymore people. Please.

Sam folded the paper in her lap and let herself feel the soft wind that gently tossed her hair around, the warmth on her skin, the faint chatter of the other kids in the background, trying to block the disturbing images that filled her head. Here, in this place, it was hard to believe that such malevolence could exist. But she, better than anyone, knew that evil could slide around any corner, grow beneath any bed or inside any closet, hide behind the mask of any person, seething and bubbling beneath a graceful smile or a friendly laugh. Evil could be anyone. Even someone you knew.

Like, oh, say, Paulina.

* * *

AN:

I changed the ages. Now they're all fifteen or sixteen, but they're still in sophomore year. Is that normal? I'll be 15 in sophomore year. And Paulina is evil. :D

Please please review! I always respond to reviews, they make me so happy. What did you guys think?


	3. Chapter 3: The Insane Girl Screams

**Chapter Three: The Insane Girl Screams**

Jazz looked up from her Advanced American Literature homework to find Danny stomping tiredly into the kitchen. He slung his backpack to the ground and made his way to the fridge, his blue eyes not really focused on his destination.

"Heya, Danny," Jazz said, shoving the pencil behind her ear. Her gingery hair, once so long, was cut short now, a chic, chin-length 'do with bangs that were currently clipped back. She sometimes regretted cutting it so short, but it was always getting in the way and between work, school, her on-again off-again boyfriend, and the occasional ghost-hunting escapade, she didn't really have time to manage it. Besides, as Sam had comfortingly assured her, it was really cute.

"Hey, Jazz," Danny sighed as if the whole world's fate was riding on his shoulders. Which was actually sometimes the case, but Jazz wasn't aware of any sort of new, impending doom, and so concluded with the obvious: girl problems.

"You alright?" She asked as he sat down next to her, a glass of milk in hand.

"I guess," was his less-than-response.

"Is it Sam?"

He didn't answer immediately, but after taking a sip of his drink he shrugged. "Yeah. And just a lot of other things."

"I see." Jazz had long since learned that pressing her brother on personal matters would do nothing but annoy him, so she instead changed the subject. "Um, you do know that you're scheduled to meet the Larkvane police tomorrow morning? Meaning you get to miss school. Again."

Much like Lancer, Jazz was severely concerned with Danny's schooling, or lack-thereof. It irritated her that nobody else seemed to mind, least of all Danny, who, like any sane teenager, enjoyed any excuse to get out of class, despite the fact that he was on the brink of failing most of his subjects. She tried to assist him as much as possible, but there was only so much she could do (or rather, that he LET her do).

Danny blinked. "Seriously. I wish somebody would tell me these things!"

"Mom already did."

"Uh, okay," he shrugged, "I guess I just forgot, or... What time do I have to be there?"

"Around nine. But I'm sure if you, oh, I don't know, got caught up with fighting a ghost, they wouldn't mind if you arrived at eleven."

"Sweet, I am so totally sleeping in!" Danny pumped a fist in the air.

Jazz couldn't help her brother like she used to anymore. Her main job had been protecting his identity, and now that everyone knew who he was, she wasn't needed anymore. Not only that, but they also had completely different schedules, and nowadays they hardly saw each other. But she figured that it was the little things, the normal things, like giving her brother the okay to sleep in, that counted. At least, she hoped.

XOXOXO

Danny Phantom arrived at the Larkvane police station at exactly 12:09 PM. He had slept in until 10:30, and as he flew through the air thought he was making pretty good time until he actually _did _run into a ghost. Skulker. Usually not that hard to beat, but, like an idiot, Danny had forgotten the thermos at home and had to scare him off rather than just store him away.

So, needless to say, Officer Jackson was less than pleased with the teenage ghost boy. Danny just apologized and said he had "ghostly matters to attend to" that morning.

The station was a fairly large building, though most of it was made out of the front lobby. A fountain was placed for show in the middle of the room; red plastic chairs were pushed against white walls; the fluorescent lighting was harsh. Though the similarities were few, Danny was vaguely reminded of Casper High.

_Must be the holding cells._

He was led down a dimly-lit hallway into the chief-of-police's office, which was just as dark the hall. Jackson gestured for him to sit, and he did so, "Sorry again for being late," he said.

Officer Jackson sighed tiredly in response and made as if to run a hand through his hair, only to remember halfway through that he was bald. "Well," he patted his beer belly absentmindedly, "I guess I should say thanks for coming again, Danny. I think you'll be able to help us."

"That's my goal, sir," he said sincerely.

"I assume you've read the papers, son?"

Danny smiled sheepishly, and Jackson took it as a no. After describing the grotesque happenings to the teenager, who grew more and more horrified with each word, he pulled out a stack of photographs and threw them across the desk, his eyes closed in disgust.

Hesitantly, Danny sifted through the images. A scarred head, a mutilated arm. A leg, a male torso, another arm. He turned away from the pictures and concentrated on not throwing up. Through his illness, he managed to shake his head. "No," he stated firmly, "No _ghost_ did this. I can promise you that."

"So what _did_?" Jackson stuffed the photographs back into his desk, growing more and more frustrated by the minute.

"My guess is as good as yours, Officer."

Danny was fidgeting in his seat. He wanted to grab his family and friends as get as far away from this place as possible, but of course he couldn't do that. Of course he had to fight whatever monster was the cause of this.

Just because he could turn into a ghost whenever he wanted, the public assumed he wasn't scared of anything.

They were so wrong.

Danny swallowed, and scrounged around in his brain for any intelligent-sounding questions. "Um, so, uh, did the victims have anything in common, or anything? They weren't all men or women, or of a certain race?"

Officer Jackson shook his head. "No. That's the thing- they murders are completely at random, for no reason! There's no real motive, so obviously it's a serial killer. But the weird thing is," the man turned and abruptly opened the blinds. Light filtered into the room, golden stripes that fell across the sparce furniture and crusty carpet, and across Danny. The ghost boy blinked against the sudden brightness. Jackson continued, almost as if to himself, "We found the bodies of two women that weren't completely mutilated. We were able to determine that they weren't raped, or defiled in any manner of the sort. We weren't able to find any male bodies that intact, though. So the killers could be _either_ male or female. Or both working together. Who knows? And the victims have been black, white, Asian, Indian. Everyone."

"So basically we have no leads." Danny concluded.

"Well," Jackson paused. "We do have something, I guess. Or rather, some_one_. We haven't been able to get anything relevant out of her, though."

"You're saying there was a...what? A _survivor_?"

"The lucky girl who got away."

"Why hasn't there been any news coverage on it? Even if I don't read the news, I think I would've heard about her."

"The doctors who take care of her don't want her to be bothered by the reporters. You should know how that feels, Danny."

He winced.

"I'd like you to take a look at her, if you please," the chief-of-police strode to the door, "And, son, prepare yourself. You're going to be disturbed."

XOXOX

The Larkvane Psychiatric Hospital sat wedged in between a forest that wasn't really a forest, but really just a few trees clustered together, and a giant chain-link fence. But judging from its exterior, you wouldn't think it was housing for the insane, but a nursing home for the elderly. The outside walls were an inviting shade of light brown, the doors dark mahogany. Even on the inside, there was floral print wallpaper and vases of freshly picked sunflowers.

After gaining permission from the middle-aged secretary/nurse working at the front office, they walked into an area adjacent to the waiting room, a sort of recreation center. Jackson pointed to the corner where a stooped-over figure with copper-colored hair sat, staring blankly at the tv in front of her. "Her name is Hanna Nylin. She was found in an alley down by TGIFridays, almost dead. When we got her here, all she did was scream. The doctors say she scratched at the walls for half an hour until they were able to physically restrain her. She says the person who did this to her also killed her brother. Sure enough, when we looked around for him, he was nowhere. But some of the blood we found on the ground is a match to his DNA."

"How do you know it was the same person?" Danny asked, although the question sounded really stupid the moment it was out of his mouth.

"It is. Trust me." With that, he gently nudged the boy foreward.

Danny Phantom floated a few inches off the ground as he approached Hanna. Other people stared at him as he hovered by. He felt an irrational, overwhelming notion of fear, one he quickly tried to squelch. She was just a girl, after all.

"Um, hi," Danny said uncertainly as he joined her on the couch. "What are you watching?"

Slowly, she turned to face him, revealing dull, hazel eyes that were sunken beneath her brows. "Everything."

He tried not to feel the sting of her gaze. "Well, um, hi. I'm Danny Phantom. And you're Hanna, right?"

"Yeah."

"And…Well, I'm here about…something that happened to you…a couple of weeks ago."

The girl was silent for a moment. Her eyes glazed over.

And then a sudden scream ripped through her vocal cords and sliced through the air. She cried out over and over and over again, incoherent rasps of words that didn't make sense together, "_I AM DEATH, THE ONES WHO DIE TO KILL! WHY DON'T YOU KILL US ALL NOW AND SAVE THE HUMANITY OF THIS WORLD! THEY DON'T LIKE US, DON'T LIKE YOU, why why why why can't I just be home again with Mama and Dad? Look, Phantom, look at what a different world that is your relative did to me, take a look oh LOOK AT IT NOW-" _she thrust her arms out, palm up, to show the bright pink, puckered scars of her wounds. On each forearm there were lines beginning on either side of her wrists and extending in opposite diagonals to her elbows. Xs that marred the surface of her skin- "_LOOK AT THE END, THE MARK RIGHT HERE ON MY ARMS, oh oh _I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, but you and the other halfa that is not you can stop it…sorrysorrysorry…"

Her tirade ended just as abruptly as it had begun, and she didn't argue when the nurses appeared and ushered her out of the room.

Danny blinked after her, his mind whirring with distant revelations just out of his reach, like dust on the other side of a window that wouldn't wipe away, and Hanna's words echoed in his ears. _Look at what a different world that is your relative did to me... look at the end, the mark right here. _

The mark of the end.

The Xs on her forearms meant something, obviously. They weren't just accidents, he knew that. They had been deliberate. And Danny also knew, with an instinctive precognition, that Hanna was not a lucky survivor. She was a very _un_lucky girl who the monsters had _let _live. But why? Was she a warning?

Danny bade cordial goodbyes to Officer Jackson in a daze, and while flying home he was unaware of his surroundings. His house was empty, as expected. Jazz was more than likely staying after school for a tutorial, and his parents were probably hunting some sort of ectopuss or something.

With silence as deafening as any shriek clogging his ears and his image reflecting only slightly in the bathroom tiles, Danny stepped into shower water that was almost scalding and let it beat against him, as if the force alone could clear his foggy mind. He decided he would call Sam. He needed to solve his normal, everyday, human teenage problems before he could even attempt to figure out what was going on in Larkvane.

And plus he just really, really wanted to talk to her.

* * *

AN:

Yay for short chapters.

**_NOTE_**: This is not a crossover with the _Twilight_ series. I only noticed the similarities when someone pointed them out to me. Sorry.

I feel kind of sad because I only have five reviews. :(

Um. Grammatical and spelling errors are probably in abundance.


	4. Chapter 4: The Beginning

**Chapter Four: The Beginning**

Danny, dark, shaggy hair still damp from the shower, stood in only his plaid pajama bottoms as he checked his cell phone for any missed calls. He found he had two: one from his parents, hastily informing him of their whereabouts, and the other from Sam.

_"Hey, Danny, um. Listen. Sorry about freaking out today at lunch. I know it's not really your fault or anything. Paulina is just…Ugh. I can't even describe her. And okay, well, I just wanted to call you and tell you that I'm really sorry, and I think we should talk about what happened, because it's starting to happen more and more frequently, if you haven't noticed. I mean, there are all these girls chasing after you now and I feel like…Ugh. I feel so stupid. Just call me back, okay? Love you." _

Danny sighed and was about to dial his girlfriend's number when a thought struck him. Placing his phone down on the bed, a devious smile spread across his face, blue eyes twinkling. It was only just getting dark, after all, and tomorrow _was_ Saturday…He shouldn't get in too much trouble for what he was about to do. Quickly, Danny pulled on a plain white t-shirt.

He backed up slowly, turned intangible, and then sprinted, taking a flying leap through his bedroom wall and becoming Danny Phantom for the second time that day. _Sometimes it feels like I'm Danny_ Phantom _more than I am Fenton,_ came an unexpected thought from the back of his head. He quickly shook it away, however. He didn't need to be angst-ing over anything when he made up with Sam. But then a different, much more welcome idea struck him, and grinning, he stopped at a shop to buy his girl some of her favorite flowers.

XOXOXO

Sam, fresh out of the shower, stepped into a pair of satin, red pajama shorts and slid a black tank top over her slim shoulders, trying to not think about the incident at lunch, and failing miserably. _I hope Danny isn't mad at me _seemed to be her catchphrase of the day.

With a disgruntled sigh, she threw herself on her purple canopied bed and buried beneath the fluffy ebony comforters, thinking herself pathetic to be at home, let alone already in _bed_, on a Friday night. Typically, she would be out with Danny and Tucker (if Danny was home, that is), either scouring the streets of Amity Park for ghosts or at the Nasty Burger complaining about how boring the weekend was turning out to be.

Sam reached out to her nightstand and felt around blindly for her book, _Speak, _by Laurie Halse Anderson. Maybe she could lose herself in Melinda Sordino's sad, small little voice. She was so quiet all the time, and so messed up on the inside, and Sam really wanted to know why. She had a good hunch, but-

Suddenly, Sam's hand grasped something that felt nothing at all like her book. No. It felt like…another hand. An ice-cold hand.

Stifling a scream, she wrenched her arm away and turned to find the intruder to be…Danny, in his phantom form. _Oh_. Sam released a slow, steady breath before sitting up on her knees and whacking her boyfriend, who was currently transforming back into a human, on the shoulder. "Don't _do_ that!" She scolded. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Danny snickered at his girlfriend's expense before breaking into a genuine smile and presenting her with a bouquet of red roses, lilacs, and mauve tulips. They perfumed the air with a sweetness that came from more than just their smell. _He got me flowers. _Sam thought she might cry.

Danny watched her priceless reaction; she completely froze, and then moved a hand to her mouth, almost in disbelief. Her lavender eyes lit up and they made contact with Danny's own blue ones before she launched herself at him in a gigantic hug.

Simultaneously, the both asked, "So you're not mad at me?"

"_No!" _

_"Of course not!" _

"Why would I be mad at you, Sam?" Danny asked, holding her at arm's length. She shrugged awkwardly, responding, "Well, I really did sort of freak out today at lunch. I'm sorry about that. You know I trust you more than that, right?"

"I do. And _you _know that there is no girl in this universe that I could ever love like I love you, right?"

Sam dropped her gaze and colored slightly. She mumbled, "There are a lot of girls who love Danny Phantom, though."

"You're right," Danny agreed, tightening his hold on her shoulders, "But there's only one girl who truly loves Danny _Fenton_. And there's only one guy who truly loves Samantha Manson."

She looked up at him, feigning shock. "Oh my God, I never would have guessed! Why didn't Tucker tell me?!"

Danny laughed, and Sam joined in, and he pulled her closer and she snuggled her face into his neck. He was warm, and smelled like soap and…aftershave? Since when did Danny shave?

She wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck and pulled him down so that he was sitting on the bed next to her. Before he could say anything, she leaned in until her forehead was touching his. She smiled as his breathing sped up; it matched the pace of her heart exactly. His eyes were bright and clear, and with the little flecks of white near his pupils, she thought they really did look like the sky on a perfect summer day. Danny closed the distance slowly, savoring the innocence of the moment. Her breath fanned against him, and for some reason it smelled like strawberry lemonade.

Their mouths met softly, lips brushing against each other, whispering silent promises, and the simple beauty of the kiss erased all of the tension from earlier in the day. He moved closer to Sam and pulled her into his lap, never removing his mouth from hers. Their lips moved together more quickly now, more heatedly.

It was a while later before they surfaced for air, smiling at each other. Sam even giggled.

"Let's go somewhere," he said suddenly, his voice deeper, husky.

Sam rolled off her bed and skipped to her door, quickly turning the lock. Her parents had the annoying tendency to pop in on her in the middle of the night. "Lead the way, Sir Daniel," she said regally, and Danny bowed.

"My princess," he took her hand and scooped her up in his arms. Together, they flew into the night.

The air was stale and stiff with the expected spring humidity, but a glacial breeze, a remnant from the freezing winter, sliced through the air. Sam shivered.

"You want a blanket?" Danny asked, immediately concerned. She wrapped her arms more securely around him and snuggled into his chest. Contented, she smiled up at him. "I'm warmer now."

The sky was painted violet, with yellow flecks smattered across the canvas as if the artist had just flung the paint with wild abandon; the stars glimmered vibrantly. The true work of art, though, was the moon, which hung suspended in the midst of the dark drapery by invisible strings, a stunning centerpiece, pale and luminous, and breathtakingly beautiful.

After she had taken a moment to be awe-struck at the wondrous sight before her, Sam ran a loving hand through Danny's hair and scoffed, "Yeah, right. Being a princess would suck."

"What makes you say that?"

"You remember that princess Dora, who was her brother's prisoner, or something like that? She captured me, and was going to force me to be his bride-" here, she gagged, "-but that's only because he _made_ her. Being a princess equated to being, like, a slave. A slave in a pretty dress. "

Danny flew into a forest and weaved through the thick trees, nodding thoughtfully. "That was only the one princess though. I'm sure it wasn't like that all the time, everywhere."

"I bet it was," Sam disagreed, sighing. "I _bet_ they made the princesses marry men fifty years older than them. I _bet_ it was disgusting. And it's not only that, but not even having a choice in your own fate? To be born without a real destiny, just a prewritten timeline?"

"Since when did you get so deep?" Danny inquired playfully, finally reaching their destination.

Before them, the glassy surface of the Amity Park Lake shimmered under the moonlight. It sat peacefully, gentle waves lapping at their feet. Danny carried Sam over to the dock, where they plunked themselves down, legs dangling over the edge.

"Actually, I think I've always been this way, and you've just matured." Sam grinned back after a moment, "But seriously. What do you think?"

"I think…you're pretty." Danny leaned towards the goth girl, closing his eyes.

Sam pulled back, arms in front of her chest and her eyebrows furrowed in an attempt to look put off. Needless to say, she failed. She laughed softly and encircled his waist with her arms. "Come on, really. What do you think?"

Danny groaned good-naturedly and slung an arm around his girlfriend. "I'm trying really hard to be romantic here, and you're totally not interested."

"I'll be interested as soon as you tell me your opinion. I will be very, _very _interested." Sam promised.

He chuckled and tilted his head up to stare at the stars, considering his response. "You're right," he said at last, "But isn't that what fate is? I thought you weren't supposed to get a choice?"

"Well…no," she disagreed, "For instance, when I was born, I was _fated_ to be a perfect, mannerly daughter. To wear girly dresses and use my money for popularity and to look down on anyone of a lower social class than me. But I had a choice, and I chose not to be that girl-"

"Thank God," interjected Danny.

"-and we _always_ have choices. But with Dora, with any princess, they felt they had no choice. They couldn't decide their own fate. Because, ultimately, our destiny is what we make of it."

Danny rubbed his head. "You're confusing me."

"I'm sort of confusing myself, too." She admitted.

Numerous fireflies flew over the lake aimlessly, buzzing melodically through the crisp blackness, in perfect harmony with the crickets serenading the night. They flickered fleetingly, on and off, like broken streetlamps. The tiny insects were mobile stars, reflecting off of the calm, cold waters, and illuminating the placid surface with their soft, erratic glow and shedding light down into its forbidden depths. Danny called Sam's attention to it.

"I think this is all we have to worry about," he whispered, nuzzling her neck, unwilling to break the profound silence that had suddenly fallen gracefully upon them, like the first blanket of ivory snow on a frigid, winter afternoon.

Sam placed a gentle hand on his cheek, whispered back, "I hope so."

And in the utter stillness of the night, with the moon cradled in the clouds, bathing the land with ephemeral light, _blue fire melted amethyst stone_, and no evil dared pervade their serenity.

At least, not for tonight.

XOXOXO

Beneath the same sky, under the same glow of the same moon, a figure strode leisurely down the streets of Larkvane. The roads were filthy, with litter rolling down the path like tumbleweeds. The chain link fences around her were broken, in some areas torn all the way down, and the houses they were supposed to guard weren't much better. Shrill police sirens rang in the distance, and in one of the houses people were shouting. She was not in a good part of the city that much was obvious, though it was of little concern to her.

A draft blew her hair back. It was a chill night, and she supposed that if she had been able to feel different temperatures, she would've wished for a jacket. Of course, her skin was ten times tougher than leather, so it was really a moot point. It was nice to entertain such thoughts, though; one rarely got the chance these days. Things had become so busy so quickly, and being a human was a thing of the past, as was feeling the heat of the sun and the biting cold of the wind and snow. These were the negative aspects, though, and she didn't care to dwell on them. They made her feel a tad melancholy, and so she changed her stream of thought to something happier: She couldn't feel pain. Well, okay, yes she could, actually. The extremely horrendous, unbearable, writhing-on-the-ground type of pain, she unfortunately was still capable of enduring. The type that would automatically blow the mind of a human and cause them to scream and scream and scream and _grovel_ for death… But getting stabbed in the arm, and paper cuts, and bullets to the stomach, and banging her knees on the coffee table, and stubbing her toes, and tearing her fingernails off one by one with tweezers (yes, she had tried that, and it had actually sort of tickled), and that sort of pain, she couldn't feel.

It was pretty cool.

A shift in the quiet atmosphere interrupted her from her musings. She sniffed; a new smell, acerbic and musty, permeated the air. Straining her ears, she could hear the light padding of footsteps several yards away, coming closer and closer in her direction. Someone was following her? How irritating.

The girl glanced down at her brand new, emerald tank top. Sequins lined the straps, and sparkles were sewn into the fabric. And these were her favorite pair of jeans, too! Dark-washed, low-rise. They fit her perfectly.

And now she was going to get some worthless human's blood on them. Just great.

The footprints were only a few feet away now, and a gruff male voice called out, "Hey, baby. Where do you think you're going this late at night?"

_Might as well have fun with this_, she thought, turning abruptly on her heel and doing her best to look terrified. It had been a while since she had experienced this particular emotion, and she hoped her face didn't give her away. _Mouth trembling, eyes wide, eyebrows slightly together, right? _In any case, the man didn't catch anything suspicious.

She saw that he was tanned, and taller than her, with broad shoulders and a built chest. His arms were fairly muscular, and he might've been considered lean if not for the beer belly extending over his belt. His face was rough, unshaven, with a crooked nose and menacing, dark eyes that roved over her shapely figure as if he were inspecting a piece of meat. He raised a beefy hand and scratched at his blonde buzz-cut, a sneer curling the corners of his thin lips.

The girl shuddered for added effect before speaking, an octave higher than normal. "Please don't hurt me! I'll give you my money, I swear, but please take me someplace safe!" She lowered her voice to a whisper and glanced around wearily, "This is when _the monsters _come out!"

The man seemed startled that she had addressed him so quickly, but then snickered. "Honey, the only monster you have to worry about is me. You have a beautiful little body," he took a threatening step towards her.

"Please, sir! Please don't come any closer!" She cried, internally laughing at herself because of how false she sounded. The guy must've been really, really stupid.

"Come on, sweetheart. Daddy wants to have a little fun. I won't hurt you too bad."

_What an idiot. _"Well, okay, but can I tell you something first?" She moved close to him, standing on her tiptoes and placing her hands on his shoulders. He stopped in his tracks, bewildered.

She muttered darkly into his ear, "You're bothering me."

And then in one fluid movement, the girl grabbed him and hurled him into the nearest alley, as easily as if she were throwing around a ragdoll. Relaxed, she quickly followed his fall, and before he hit the ground, she had kicked him into the wall.

He coughed up blood, wiping it away from his mouth in horror. "Wh-What are you? What _**are you**_?"

She cackled, a fallen angel with her back silhouetted by the moonlight and her eyes glowing fiercely. No, not even an angel. A devil. A demon. "I _am _one of the monsters, baby."

Casually, she kneeled next to him and with one delicate fingernail carved a bloody path down his cheek. "Scream," she whispered seductively, amused by the incoherent pleas that were tumbling out of his quivering lips, "I dare you."

And just as he drew a breath for a decent screech, she snapped his neck.

The girl was hungry, and for a split second considered a quick feeding. But it was getting early, with only several hours until dawn, and she decided she could do without. Plus, he was already dead. It was never any fun when they were already dead.

She stood and inspected her clothing, noting with satisfaction that she hadn't stained her shirt at all. Her pants had suffered a few blood spatters, but she thought they might come out with a good washing.

Pacing now, because she was late, she carried on down the dark streets. A policeman dared stop her, inquiring as to whether or not she was okay, and she disposed of him quickly, neatly, threw his body in a dumpster. _Why can't anyone just mind their own business these days? People are so rude, s_he grumbled to herself as she made a sharp turn into an alleyway. The darkness imposed itself upon her, swallowed her up as she disappeared down the path. Buildings on either side of her blocked the passage of any light, and all was quiet, so still that not even the wind followed in her wake.

A door to the left of her swung open without warning, but she wasn't startled; she had expected it. A long, slender arm extended and its fingers beckoned her forward. Hissing filled the alley, like someone was letting air out of a tire.

She rolled her eyes. "Corbeau, enough with the dramatics. You're not scaring anyone."

"Comment le savez-vous étiez-vous moi ?" He huffed, stepping out of the shadowy entrance. His espresso-colored skin and hair seemed to blend in with the background, though his hazel eyes glistened with an emotion she couldn't understand. She was sure she'd find out soon enough. He shoved his hands in his sweatshirt pockets, his jeans stained with fresh blood and dirt. So she wasn't the only one who had had to make a quick stop.

"_Nous sommes dans Amerca. Parler anglais, stupide._ We're in America. Speak English, stupid. And by the way, it wasn't that hard to figure out it was you. No one else is that idiotic. "

"It's not fair, Faye!" he whined, "Why did _we_ have to learn a different language?"

"Because we're in _their_ territory. If the situation was reversed, they would've learned French." Faye was growing increasingly annoyed, and she had to strain to keep her voice level.

"But the Redo Kid herself speaks French! She's even _from_ France."

"_**Enough**_!" Faye yelled, swiping him across the face with her nails. He didn't even flinch. "We're standing out here in the open like imbeciles when we should be at the meeting!"

Faye brushed past him, shaking her head. Dealing with Corbeau was always agitating. Granted, he was one of the youngest, but did he really have to be so immature?

He followed, complaining under his breath, "English is an ugly language…"

Together, they descended two flights of stairs lit by torches and then entered into a huge, oval room. The walls were sparse of decoration, and harsh florescent lights burned their eyes; they quickly raised their hands to their foreheads in an attempt to shut some of it out. In front of them, at least fifty others were clustered around, all on their knees, chattering bleakly about something Faye knew she had missed.

"What's going on?" She muttered to Corbeau.

He just sighed. "You'll have to see for yourself."

At the front of the room, a man dressed in red robes stood at a podium. Faye thought he looked familiar. His salt-and-pepper hair was long, too long in Faye's opinion, and was tied into a ponytail. He had a beak for a nose, and large, yellow eyes. He waved a withered hand, gesturing towards the crowd, and Faye remembered who he was:

His name was Dax, and he was a head priest. From France, of course. Otherwise, she wouldn't know him. And, if her memory did not fail her, he was the one who had finally managed to track down the Redo Kid.

Head Priest Dax's voice was richly coarse, layered with many years of knowledge, of trial and errors, of triumphs and disappointments. "Bonjour, mes enfants," he began, "Hello, my children. I'm pleased to see that you all could come. Has everyone fed well these past few weeks?"

They all nodded in general agreement.

"America is a beautiful country, is it not? Filled with beautiful landscapes and beautiful waters. We thank our American relatives who allowed us to venture onto their turf with no trouble. Thank you!

For this land is also, as most of you already know, where the ceremony shall take place. The ceremony that we have all waited for, for centuries!"

Eager murmurs filled the room.

"It is in the quaint city of Amity Park, my sweet, sweet family, located in a cavern deep in a forest, that our existences will change forever. No longer will we have to hide in the darkness, my dear children, oh no. We will call forth our deceased brethren from their graves, and coat the world in ashes. No more sun! We will at last rule this earth. We will at last reclaim our rightful throne. The humans will perish, and would you like to know why?"

Dax paused, his eyes glowing in excitement. "It is because of one special girl who has already lived in one lifetime. One special child that has enough spirit, enough power, and just enough-" Dax grinned wickedly "-_evil _within her to raise our fallen comrades from the pits of Hell. Please, bow down before her!"

Faye bowed deeply, her nose skimming the ground; everyone else did the same. When she looked up again, a tiny girl was standing next to (or rather, behind) Dax. He was smiling in a fatherly way down at her. Faye dimly wondered where she had arrived from, but then noticed the many side door entrances. So _this _was the famed "Redo Kid", as the lesser of her kind had dubbed her, though her real name was-

Dax began stroking her white blonde hair. "Except we have a small problem, don't we?" He cooed, only to her. He then turned his attention back to the crowd. "Born of a human mother and an undead father, she is able to repress her more…_animalistic_ instincts. She feels _compassion _towards the filthy abominations known as mankind. It was a slight glitch in the Predecessor's plan, though of course we all make mistakes. She refuses to feed upon the lower species, and is thus weak. You see how thin she is? We need her at her most powerful. And as an added bonus…the more blood she drinks, the more _sadistic_ she will become. Honestly, how many of you feel like killing for the fun of it when you haven't eaten in a while?" Dax chuckled.

"And so," he sighed and pushed the girl into the group, "I'm afraid we must force her to feed."

The multitude rose to their feet and advanced to her. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks.

A human was brought forth, a squirming little thing still in his PJs, and Faye tsked. He would never be enough to feed her starving leader. But to Faye's astonishment, the Redo Kid grabbed the child and held him, shielded him from the rest of them.

Eventually, Faye knew, she would succumb to her nature. The blonde girl screamed and hugged the human boy closer to her chest, her screeches hurting her ears. One of her bolder brothers grabbed her neck and roughly shoved her face down into the child's neck, pressing so tightly that blood began to seep out of her mouth.

Dax rose his arms majestically above his head as the masses forced the wailing girl to eat, rose them and swayed them amidst the chaos, and called out for the sleeping world to hear,

"**_The vampires shall rise again_**!"

* * *

AN:

Whoa! Cheesy much?

I'm using the translating system from dictionary dot com, and so yes, the translations are probably not the most accurate but I'm doing my best. :)

If I don't get any reviews I am going to cry. I worked my BUTT off on this chapter! I don't know, it was just hard to write for some reason! As always, I apologize for any grammatical errors. Is this story getting too confusing? Or just confusing enough? Please tell me what you think! :)


	5. Phantom Antics

This is an aside (that's the right name for it, isn't it?) that I decided to write while in the process of writing Chapter 5. I just really wanted you guys to get an indepth look at the relationships between Tawny and the Gang, and also to provice a more solid backstory for her. I got the idea for it after watching Avatar: The Last Airbender, _Tales of Ba Seng Sae. _I didn't spell that right, but that's okay! And yes, half of chapter five is complete. It's been that way since summer. I just haven't finished it yet. Aahh sorry! So I hope this okay and I'm sorry if the characters are a tad OOC. And I also apologize for any grammatical erros. Sooo, without further adieu...Enjoy _Phantom Antics_!

**Phantom Antics **

Sam dreaded going to the mall alone. It was a place filled with ugly, skanky clothes and ugly, skanky people full of rat-faced lies and hidden agendas. The harsh lighting hurt her eyes and the acerbic smell of stale food filled the entire building, and even wafted out into the parking lot. And that's when she was in a good mood.

Sam also never went clothes shopping there- American Eagle didn't carry combat boots the last time she checked. Nor did Hollister, or Abercrombie, or whatever other stores there were. She had never really paid attention. She much preferred to purchase unique tees from some obscure London boutique off the internet (ah, the few joys of being filthy rich), or even just grab a plain old tank top from the clearance wrack at Wal-Mart and dye it black.

But her mother's birthday was coming up, and Mrs. Manson had specified that she wanted "that scarlet-colored little summer-frock with the charming daisy design, dear, the one in Lovely Lady's Apparel. Oh, and I think you should invite that delightful Paulina girl who I met at Open House. She's such a darling. Why haven't you mentioned her before?"

Hell would freeze over before she invited Paulina Sanchez _anywhere_. Except maybe Hell itself.

And she couldn't subject Danny to that sort of torture, even though she knew he'd be willing enough. He hated shopping. Of course, Sam could always have dragged Tucker along, but he would have just griped and complained the entire time, and then she would have ended up killing him and it would have been a very messy, unnecessary ordeal. So, after serious deliberation, Sam decided that she and Tawny needed some girls-only bonding time.

They met at the mall around noon. Sam found, to her surprise, that she was nervous about the next few hours. She had never had any real girl friends. The members of her sex had always seemed to take an immediate and intense disliking to her, for some reason. To her relief, though, Tawny seemed equally uneasy.

"Hey," Sam smiled tentatively at her as she approached. Tawny had been sitting on a bench inside, next to the entrance.

"Hi," the girl smiled back, and stood up. Sam hadn't noticed how short she was; she barely came up to her shoulders, and Sam was of average height!

Tawny was wearing a yellow t-shirt that read "bite me" and a pair of jeans that were ripped at the knees, though judging by the size of the holes, the tears were not intentional.

Her features seemed to blend into one another, each as pallid and colorless as the next. Her eyebrows were light, just a shade darker than her white-blonde hair, which was tied into a loose ponytail. Her eyes were gray-blue, framed by sandy-colored eyelashes, her lips an unusually pale-pink. She was such a shocking contrast to Sam's darker, exotic appearance, with her black hair and lilac eyes and tanner skin, that it would definitely startle people. And Sam loved startling people. Suddenly she was feeling immensely better about the whole situation.

"Okay," Sam began after the initial greetings, "So all we have to do is get in, get out, and go home. We've already got the "get in" part established, so now we just have to make it to Lady's Apparel Whatever in one piece."

Tawny smiled brilliantly and gave Sam a thumb's up. "Sounds like a plan to me."

During the walk to the store, Sam figured out that Tawny wasn't quiet because she had nothing to say, as was her original suspicion (which was part of the reason she hadn't liked her in the first place; she thought Tawny was just another one of those brainless, pretty, popular girls with no opinions about anything), but simply because she wasn't used to voicing herself.

"My parents died a while back, when I was in France," she had said matter-of-factly, squaring her shoulders and staring straight ahead. Sam detected a hint of agony in the words, and wondered just how much Tawny was holding back. She continued, "My adoptive family is always busy all the time, so I guess since I never had anyone to talk to, I just sort of…stopped talking.

"I'm really sorry about your mom and dad," Sam said softly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "This must be hard for you, shopping for a birthday present for my mom and everything. If I had known earlier, I would never have-"

"No, don't be silly," Tawny grinned up at her, shaking her hand off. "The truth is that I miss them every day. But I'm glad they're gone."

She took one glance at Sam's bewildered expression and laughed out loud, a hearty, boisterous, obnoxious laugh that was totally unexpected from someone so tiny. "Not like _that_. It's just-" here her face took on a grave expression, "-the world is coming into some horrible times, and I would hate to see them caught in the cross-fire somehow. Mom and Dad were good people, and it would've killed them to see what's happening, and what's going to happen. Besides, _Il faut laisser le passé dans l'oubli et l'avenir a la Providence._One must forget about the past and leave the future up to Providence. Or, you know, whoever. So, don't feel sorry for me."

Sam smiled. "But, 'what's going to happen'? What are you talking about?"

"Oh," Tawny blinked, "I mean the Larkvane Murders, of course. And Global Warming."

"Danny will find the murderer or murderers soon," Sam said confidently, "Although I'm not sure he can do anything about Global Warming."

They had arrived at Lovely Lady's Apparel at last. The walls and ceiling were painted pink and it reeked of cheap perfume. Pictures of fancy-looking woman with their snotty little poodles were hung up _just so_; the sales woman smiled cheerily at them through her fuchsia-colored lipstick, her purple sun-dress crinkling as she waved.

The name was bad enough- this was just plain overkill.

They looked around for a bit, perusing the many hideously bright dresses.

Tawny seemed unsettled for some reason, and Sam was just about ask why when the blonde girl started, "You seem so unconcerned by what's happening in Larkvane. Don't you care?"

Sam was shocked. "Of course I care. Very much so," she said, "But I just can't imagine how those people are feeling- the victims' families and friends, I mean. I just can't relate to it-"

"But what if it was related to _you_?" Tawny interrupted snappishly, her eyes intense, "What if it had everything to do with you?"

Sam paused and stared at her friend. "What are you talking about, Tawny?"

She sighed and casually picked up a dress and then hung it back up, replying stiffly, "Just hypothetically-speaking. Excuse me. I get a little excited sometimes."

"I noticed," Sam agreed, eyebrows raised.

Tawny awkwardly folded her arms in front of her chest. "So, um, are we going to get the dress?"

They located the frock at the back of the store. It was a sleeveless red little number, with fabric made out of silk. Bright yellow daisies spiraled down the outfit and then ended in a neat little bow at the bottom.

Tawny examined the dress diplomatically before stating, "It looks like someone ate a bunch of daisies and threw them up…"

"…all over a squashed tomato." Sam finished for her, "I can't believe she's my mother."

And then the two girls looked at each other and burst out laughing.

XOXOXO

In Tucker's opinion, PDAs were the greatest invention known to man. Victoria's Secret came in a close second, and that was followed by the computer, a machine that should've been worshiped as a holy thing.

It was at this sacred device that Tucker was attempting to write his English essay.

Downstairs, his mom yelled at him, "Sweetie, dinner is ready!"

"Okay, Mom!" He called back, although he was determined not to let anything distract him from his paper. Between being the town's mayor, ghost-hunting, and friends, his grades had taken a serious dive. They weren't anything like Danny's, but they were still considerably poor, and as someone always being scrutinized by his rival politicians, he found it increasingly important to maintain a good public image. And that entailed good grades. And so he was not going to let anything deter him from finishing this project, and dangit, it was going to be the best paper ever.

His computer made a beeping noise, informing him that one of his friends was online.

Yep. He was going to pay attention to the paper. Nobody was going to sidetrack _him_ that was for sure.

Another beep.

…Okay, just one little peek at who was on, just so his curiosity didn't drive him crazy.

His heart leapt into his throat as he read the screen name. _SnowWhite123. _Tawny.

Screw homework.

_MayorTechGeek says: _hey

_SnowWhite123 says: _Hi :)

_MayorTechGeek__ says: _what's up?

_SnowWhite123 says: _Nothing much. You?

_MayorTechGeek says: _same here. trying to finish up some lame homework. you know that english paper thing?

_SnowWhite123 says:_ Oh yeah. That sucked. I finished it yesterday.

_MayorTechGeek says: _smarty pants. rub it in my face why don't you? :)

_SnowWhite123 says: _-rub rub rub-

_MayorTechGeek says: _rofl

_SnowWhite123 says: _So any interesting plans for this weekend?

_MayorTechGeek says: _well the dance is coming up, you know. so me and danny and sam…and you…will probably go to that

_SnowWhite123 says:_ You guys want me to go?

_MayorTechGeek says: _of course.

_SnowWhite123 says: _Oh. Cool! :)

_MayorTechGeek says: _why so surprised?

_SnowWhite123 says: _I'm not.

_MayorTechGeek says: _everyone really likes you. even sam, and she doesn't like girls. you don't have to worry about anything

_SnowWhite123 says: _What are the dances usually like?

_MayorTechGeek says: _you just changed the subject

_SnowWhite123 says: _What are the dances usually like?

_MayorTechGeek says: _you know. the school hires strippers and the teachers bring the drugs. the usual.

_SnowWhite123 says: _…You're kidding, right?

_MayorTechGeek says: _nope.

_SnowWhite123 says: _What?!

_MayorTechGeek says: _haha gotcha. haven't you ever been to a dance before? they have dances in france, right?

_SnowWhite123 says: _I'm sure they do. But I was, well, I was homeschooled, I guess you could call it.

_MayorTechGeek says:_ really?

_SnowWhite123 says: _And now this is where you say "Eww, she's just an awkward, weird girl with no people skills!" and then hurriedly sign off.

_MayorTechGeek says: _haha, no way. seriously though, what was homeschooling like?

_SnowWhite123 says: _Well, my home school definitely wasn't like most homeschooling. The curriculum was way different.

_MayorTechGeek says: _how so?

_SnowWhite123 says: _Just the topics I studied.

_MayorTechGeek says: _what kind of topics?

_MayorTechGeek says: _hello?

_MayorTechGeek says:_ are you there?

_SnowWhite123 says: _Yeah, sorry.

_MayorTechGeek says:_ what kind of topics?

_SnowWhite123 says: _My, you are annoyingly persistent!

_MayorTechGeek says: _haha. just tell me already!

_SnowWhite123 says: _Haa, okay. Well, I studied hunting.

_MayorTechGeek says: _really? that's really cool. is that all?

_SnowWhite123 says: _And the normal stuff, too. Math and reading and all that. But for history I studied mythology, and science I studied mythical creatures along with learning about cells and all of that unimportant junk. It was neat.

_MayorTechGeek says:_ mythical creatures like gods and goddesses and stuff?

_SnowWhite123 says: _That was mythology. Mythical creatures are like, werewolves and zombies and stuff. Zombies are really scary.

_MayorTechGeek says:_ what about vampires?

_SnowWhite123 says: _Vampires aren't real.

_MayorTechGeek says: _yeah, and neither are werewolves and zombies.

_SnowWhite123 says: _Got me there.

_MayorTechGeek says:_ so why didn't you study vampires?

_SnowWhite123 says: _I did. Haa, IDK why I said that up there. It was irrelevant.

_MayorTechGeek says: _lmao. your face is irrelevant.

_SnowWhite123 says: _Your existence is irrelevant.

_MayorTechGeek says: _wanna say that to my face?

_SnowWhite123 says: _No, because that's irrelevant, too.

_MayorTechGeek says: _oooh, good one! kudos, my friend. :)

_SnowWhite123 says: _Thanks. I try. :)

_SnowWhite123 says_: So, you never told me…What are school dances like?

Their conversation carried on well into the night. Tucker never did finish his paper.

XOXOXO

The kitchen lights blared down on him as he tried not to bang his head on the table.

Danny desperately needed help on his homework._ Desperately_. His mom and dad were no help, and Jazz was out. He had called Tucker, though heaven knows why he had even bothered, since Tucker was Tucker and he sucked at math, too. Then, Danny had texted Sam, but she never responded.

And so he stared at the piece of paper in front of him until the numbers and letter swirled together in a tauntingly complicated abyss.

Finally, he realized that there was one other person who might be able to help him: Tawny. He was really grateful he had insisted on swapping numbers; she had been hesitant at first for some reason, muttering something lame about her parents not approving, but he talked her into it.

Danny expected some resistance as he held the phone receiver to his ear, but to his surprise Tawny eagerly agreed to come over and tutor him, although he'd have to wait a bit for her to show up.

Half an hour passed, and she finally showed up at his doorstep. The dark clouds that had been threatening rain all day had finally started a steady drizzle; her green t-shirt and jeans were completely soaked through.

"Sorry it took me so long," she said softly, embarrassed for some reason, "My parents are working, so I had to walk." She shrugged apologetically, her wet cheeks turning red.

"Dude, don't worry about it. Seriously, I'm thanking you for coming over. Math totally kicks my butt," Danny responded, "Uh, let me go get you a towel really fast. Come in!"

Tawny tentatively stepped inside, careful to stay on the entryway rug so as not to drip everywhere.

Danny exited the bathroom, holding a towel and a brush. He had noticed that her long, blonde hair was tangled up in a dripping rat's nest, so he had decided to grab it as well.

He didn't want her to sit in her sopping wet clothes, and offered her one of Jazz's shirts, but she declined.

"You'll get cold," Danny protested, eyeing her dubiously.

"I'll be fine, really," she smiled at him, "I don't get cold very easily. All I'm afraid of is dripping on your kitchen floor."

"Don't worry about that. Come on, let's go," he said, leading her into the kitchen. "You want a soda or something?"

"No thanks."

Tawny was leaning on the table, her eyes scanning over his chicken-scratch handwriting and eraser marks. "Oh, this is your problem," she pointed to the center of the page, "Right here, you forgot to…"

Danny plunked down in a chair and listened while she explained his many mistakes. He found it odd that someone with so quiet a voice could talk for so long. He wondered if Tawny was shy because this was the first time they had had any one-on-one time, or because this was just who she was.

"So, that's all you need to know," she concluded. "Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I think so," he nodded. "Hey, you must be starving. Want to stay for dinner?"

Tawny's porcelain face was instantly a mask of reservation. "I don't think that would be such a good idea."

"Why not? Just phone your parents and tell them where you are."

"They won't care," she muttered, with something akin to bitterness in her tone. "As long as I make it home, they don't care what I do."

Danny wasn't quite sure what to say to that, and so he sat there and waited for her to speak.

Tawny looked at him ruefully, "Sorry, that was unnecessary. I guess I could stay for dinner. What's on the menu?"

"With my mom, you can never be sure. Just trust me when I say that's it edible."

Tawny giggled, and he grinned.

"How long have you and Sam been dating?" She inquired suddenly.

He was slightly taken aback at the abruptness of her question, but answered automatically, "About a year and a half. Give or take a few months."

"You love her so much." She stated.

"Yeah, I really do," he smiled thoughtfully.

"Tell me about it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how you feel, what you think?" She prodded good-naturedly. "What's it like to have a girlfriend as stubborn and strong-willed as Samantha Manson?"

He rolled it around her mind for a few moments. "To sum it up, Sam is totally rad. And she's beautiful. Not just in her dark hair and freakishly dark blue eyes (have you noticed that? They're totally almost purple!), but it's on the inside, too. Which is weird, because most girls don't get to have the best of both worlds. She's passionate about everything she does. I just…I can't explain it," and then he smirked mischievously, "What about you?"

She blinked. "What about me what?"

"Do you have anyone you, you know…?

"I'm not telling you!"

"Oh, come on! I just told you all about my inner-most personal feelings for Sam! It's only fair that you spill a little, too."

Tawny lowered her gaze and the corners of her lips tilted up sadly. "Okay then. No. I don't."

"Oh." Danny said awkwardly, and then sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, I-"

"I mean, not anymore," she continued. She seemed lost in her own memories. "His name was Oliver."

"Oliver?"

"Yeah. Ollie. He kind of looked like Dash, I guess. He was handsomer, though. And he had green eyes." Her voice was far away, off in the past.

Silence. "…_Had_?" Danny asked at last.

She heaved a great sigh. "He died awhile ago."

Danny didn't really know what else to do except reach across the table and grasp her forearm comfortingly. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Me too. I remember we used to eat at these café's and we'd steal the Sweet N' Low and use it to make card houses. His mom was sick with breast cancer, and so he was always taking care of her. He was so…strong. He had these really sturdy, big hands. They could hold both of mine in his palm. He liked to carry me around. And once he pushed me into Madeleine Jeanette's pool during a party. After I got done yelling at him he gave me his jacket so I wouldn't get cold. I never get cold, like I said, but it was nice."

Again, silence.

And then, "You loved him so much." Danny stated.

"Yeah, I really did." She smiled thoughtfully.

And they waited, as the clock ticked by, the sound reverberating hollowly off of the linoleum kitchen tiles, to end this momentary pause in reality, to shake themselves out of her mournful past.

Some time after Mrs. Fenton arrived home, life resumed.


End file.
